


No Regrets

by masi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: F/F, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 15:59:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,901
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6121795
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masi/pseuds/masi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yui joins a new volleyball club, meets Misaki Hana, and tries to do things a little differently this time around.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Regrets

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Femslash February 2016. 
> 
> I don't think Yui and Hana have met in the canon, but they're two of my favorites, and I thought it would be excellent for them to get together. Thank you for reading!

The women’s volleyball team at Yui’s university is small and not renowned and surprisingly disorganized, but Yui has been practicing diligently since she joined. She tries to take the extra step, stays the extra hour in the gym. She does not want to have regrets like she did after Interhigh and at graduation, about her own skills, about her leadership ability, about her decision to not confess to the person she had harbored a crush on for years.

The older teammates, and the captain especially, appreciate her for the hard work, say that they will sub her in as a wing spiker during their first official match if the need arises. Yui prepares to the best of her ability, and she feels confident on the day of the match, an hour before it, a few minutes before, one second before. Then the match starts, and it is almost the same as the last Interhigh match, the gap in points widening into a deep chasm, a loss of morale. She is subbed in. She isn’t able to turn anything around.

After the match, Yui waits for the captain to leave the restroom, carefully avoiding her gaze, and then she steps inside. The restroom is empty, the toilets are unoccupied. She looks into the long rectangular mirror, placed directly underneath a stretch of bright white lights. She can see the damp spots of sweat on her jersey, and all of her pores, and the shape of her tears, round, wobbly, as they drop out of her eyes and fall onto her red cheeks.

The door opens.

Yui hastily digs her the heels of her hands into her eyes, and then she puts her hands under the faucet to turn it on. She splashes cold water onto her face. Pull yourself together, Michimiya Yui, she tells herself. There’s always next time! There’s always next time.

Then she realizes that the stranger has not gone over to the toilets and is, instead, standing right by the door, looking at her.

Yui tries to smile. “Sorry,” she says. “Did you need this sink?” There’s a row of sinks to her left, but maybe this girl has a particular preference for hers.

The girl moves closer and hands her a packet of tissues. “Here you go,” she says. And then, “Karasuno, right?”

Yui is startled to hear the name of her high school, in this restroom so far from it. She looks at the girl again, carefully. 

There is something familiar about her. Shoulder-length, layered brown hair, a few strands bunching over the collar of her black turtleneck, warm brown eyes, very short bangs.

Very short bangs. Wasn’t there a manager of one of the boys’ teams who had that haircut? Yui remembers someone saying, probably one of her teammates, “Why doesn’t she grow her bangs out?”

“I graduated from Johzenji,” the girl says, smiling a little. “I was the manager of the boys’ volleyball team there last year. Misaki Hana.”

“Oh!” Yui smiles back. “Now I remember. Karasuno beat … I mean,” she can feel herself flushing (how awkward to start an acquaintance through a reminder of who won and who lost), “our schools had a match last year! I'd retired by then, from my team, and was studying so much for my entrance exams. Glad those are over!” 

She opens the packet of tissues and wipes her face with one of them. The tissue carries a faint smell of roses. She presses another one to the corner of her eyes.

“I retired shortly after that,” Misaki says.

“Have you joined another volleyball team?”

“No.” Misaki moves over to the sink next to Yui’s and looks into the mirror. “I’m in an art club. At your university. Ah, um, that is, we’re in the same university.”

“Oh! Is that why you were at the match? To support our team?”

“Yeah,” Hana says. Then she blushes, unexpectedly, as she says, “I like watching your team play.”

Hana is standing with her back very straight. She is a little bit taller than Yui and as pretty as Kiyoko, in a sturdy, warmer sort of way that Yui likes. She likes, too, the abrupt way in which Hana sticks her right hand into the small purse hanging from her shoulder and pulls out a compact powder and lip gloss. 

Yui wipes the remainder of the water on her face with a third tissue, and then slaps her cheeks softly, to psych herself up. Misaki looks at her again, eyebrows raised, the doe foot applicator of the gloss resting against her bottom lip.

“Well,” Yui says, “gotta go. Don’t want to get left behind by the team.”

“Wait.” Misaki reaches into her bag again and pulls out a small bottle of mineral water spray, which she presses into Yui’s hand. “It might help,” she says. 

Yui uncaps the bottle and spritzes the water onto her face. The pressurized water is a cold jolt to her skin. She feels better almost instantly. 

“Thanks!” she says. 

When she tries to hand the bottle back, Misaki tells her to keep it. “Are you saying that I’ll need it for another match?” Yui asks, pretending to be offended.

“Only to freshen up after the victory sweat,” Misaki replies.

Yui laughs and says, “I hope I see you at another match, Misaki! I mean, not in a restroom, but on the stands.” 

Misaki smiles. “Just Hana is fine,” she says.

A spot of pink gloss gleams on her bottom lip. Yui licks her own lip, almost unconsciously, and then, blushing, she says, “And you can call me Yui.”

She waves once and opens the door of the restroom. After she steps into the hallway, and as the door closes between them, she sees Hana look into the mirror and dab a powder puff quickly over her cheeks.

***

Yui remembers Misaki Hana during dull moments in class that week, and whenever she sees the spray in her gym bag. On an especially rainy day, after the captain decides to cancel volleyball practice for that evening, she finds herself walking over to the building where the university’s art club usually meets, and then towards their meeting room. And then she lingers outside their closed door.

She can hear voices inside and occasional laughter. It would probably be rude to intrude. Besides, she isn’t sure what she should say. Hi, where is Misaki Hana, I can’t seem to stop thinking about her?

She is turning around to leave, when the door is opened by a girl who is wearing a ball gown and a pair of long feather earrings. Yui says, “Oh! Sorry. I was just-”

“Is that Yui?” Yui hears Hana say, and then Hana is at the door too. 

“Hi!” Yui says, her voice so loud, it reverberates through the hallway. A few people turn to stare, and the girl with the feather earrings raises an eyebrow.

But Hana only smiles and says, “It’s nice to see you again. Would you like to come in and see the exhibit we’re planning for next month?”

“As long as I’m not disturbing you,” Yui says. 

“Not at all. Please come.”

Yui follows Hana into the room and looks around while smiling at everyone. There are a few other girls and two boys inside, all working on various projects. The room is about one-tenth the size of the gym the volleyball club uses, but it smells much nicer and is warmer. Hana introduces her as “a friend who is on the volleyball team,” and Yui feels even warmer after that.

The girl with the earrings asks Yui a few questions about the volleyball club and what she’s studying at the university. She makes a sympathetic noise when Yui says “history.” Then she starts discussing plans for their exhibit with another girl, this one in an A-line skirt and a Venetian half mask.

“We’re setting up an exhibit featuring carnivalesque art,” Hana explains.

She isn’t dressed up like the other two, wearing instead a plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of skinny jeans that are folded above her ankles. There is a streak of yellow paint on the back of her right hand, which she rubs at self-consciously as she nods towards a painting on the table in the middle of the room and says, “I have to finish at least one painting by this weekend, but I can’t seem to get anything right this week.”

Hana’s painting consists of large splotches of color. Yui knows nothing about art except that it’s supposed to make you feel things. Hana’s nail polish, the color of sweet, plump, gleaming cherries, is currently making her feel more things than the painting itself, but she wants to be supportive and not scare Hana away, so she says, “It looks great! The colors are lovely, and I feel moved.”

Hana frowns. “The colors aren’t supposed to be lovely,” she says. “They’re supposed to make you feel a little unsettled. Ahh, I knew I was doing it wrong.”

Yui says quickly, “Oh no no no. Forget what I said. The only thing I know anything about is volleyball. So.” She smiles what she hopes is an encouraging smile. “Are you majoring in art?

“Nope.” Hana smiles back. “I’m an engineering major.”

“So, art is your hobby? The new manager at Karasuno, Yachi Hitoka, likes art. Graphic design, I think.” 

And Kiyoko likes Yachi, Yui remembers. Kiyoko had told her that, in an almost matter-of-fact way, last month when they had met up for lunch. And then she had sounded very fond as she talked about Yachi’s numerous charms. Yui wishes she could be as straightforward and confident and cool as Kiyoko.

“Art isn’t really my hobby either,” Hana says in a low voice. “Joining this club was a bit of an impulsive decision. I guess I wanted to try something new and fun? But now I’m trying too hard to have fun, while not putting in enough effort or doing well. Which is weird. I yelled at my old team for doing this kind of thing.”

Yui says, “How about you try something old and fun? The volleyball club will need a manager when our current one retires this year. Why don’t you come by the gym tomorrow?”

“I have to study for a test tomorrow night.”

“Come anytime you want. Any day.”

Hana looks at her for a moment before saying, “Alright.” 

***

Yui is asking the captain if she can stay behind to practice her spikes at the end of practice on Friday when she sees Hana standing just inside the gym doors.

“Hana!” Yui exclaims.

“I guess you won’t be staying behind then,” the captain says. 

“No, I want to,” Yui says, before she realizes that she is being inconsiderate. Maybe Hana wants to be introduced to the captain and current manager. Maybe she wants to pick up a form. Those kinds of things. 

She is about to apologize when Hana walks farther into the gym, saying, “Do you want me to toss to you, Yui?” 

Yui almost can’t believe her ears. This is the best offer she has heard this year! No, the best she has heard since last summer. 

She cups Hana’s face with both hands, saying, “Yes, yes, that would be super, thank you so much!”

Hana turns pink. Yui can feel the blush, Hana’s soft skin slowly warming underneath her palms. 

She hastily moves back. She doesn’t want to make Hana uncomfortable. She really is too touchy-feely at times. Another thing to work on. 

She grabs a volleyball and tosses it to Hana. 

The captain, after reminding Yui that she should clean up the gym before leaving, walks out. The doors close behind her. There is an awkward silence in the gym.

Yui remembers then that she wanted to introduce Hana to the captain. She says, “Sorry! Wait here just one minute, and I’ll go get-”

“I can talk to her at another time,” Hana says.

“She’ll be so happy,” Yui says. “We can really use someone who’s dedicated to volleyball and can inspire everyone to work hard. We need to do better.” She sighs. “I need to do better.”

“There is room for improvement.” Hana tosses the ball, nice and easy, and beams when Yui spikes it over the net. She continues, “But isn’t there always? Besides, if the team I managed at Johzenji can do it, so can you ladies, and without anyone threatening them with a spanking.”

“Did you really do that?” Yui says, laughing.

Hana smiles, before continuing, "And I like your style. You practice hard, but also know when to let go and have fun."

Yui, surprised by this compliment, completely misses the next ball. Her fingers slide through the air, as the ball flies past her and hits the floor. She lands awkwardly herself, her heart beating fast.

She has been told before that she is a decent player and an awesome captain, but she can’t remember anyone complimenting her while looking at her with the kind of frank admiration and sweet smile that Hana has right now. It makes her want to play better. It also makes her want to maybe stop playing altogether and do something that scares her a bit, like take Hana’s face in her hands again and kiss the smile.

Hana asks, “Shall I toss again?” 

“Yes,” Yui says, almost sighing with relief. Back to familiar turf. 

***

After the art exhibition is over, Hana comes to practice once every week, a few minutes earlier each time. She stays on the sidelines, talking to the current manager and watching all of them play. On the nights Yui stays behind, Hana does too, tossing to her without complaint, listening to Yui’s thoughts on how the team can improve, and giving great advice.

“You’re a manager after my own heart,” Yui says once, and Hana says, with a cryptic smile, “We’ll see.”

The night before another away match, this time against a team that is in one of the top five best women’s volleyball teams, Hana helps her clean up the gym and store the volleyball carts in the storage room. They exit the gym afterwards, side by side. Yui wonders how she will feel when she returns next. Excited for practice? Defeated?

Volleyball doesn’t feel worth it at times, especially after a loss, all that practice and effort and the rollercoaster of emotions before, during, and after a match. But it’s what she has been doing since forever. Some of her best memories and best friendships were formed through it. Volleyball is what brought her and Hana together.

When they reach the sidewalk, Hana says, “Well. I guess this is good night. Sleep well, Yui.”

“You’ll come to the match tomorrow, won’t you?”

“Yes.” Hana nods. She is looking directly at her, gaze steady. 

Yui has an odd feeling of déjà vu. How many times have she and Daichi met to talk about volleyball, with something unspoken in Yui’s heart, rising up slowly and forming wings at the back of her throat, only to be swallowed down. It is too late for that now, and she isn’t sure she wants that anymore. What she does want is for this year to be a time of no regrets. What she does want is a chance with Hana.

“Wait,” Yui says, grasping Hana’s right hand.

Hana looks at their joined hands, but she doesn’t pull away. Yui, more confident now, says, “Do you want to have dinner together? It’ll be my treat.”

“Oh.” Hana smiles. “Alright. But you don’t have to, I can pay.”

“You can pay for another dinner, the one celebrating my victory.” Yui smiles too. She releases Hana’s hand. Her heart is hammering in her chest.

Hana is quiet for a moment, and then she reaches out with both hands, takes Yui’s hands in her own, squeezes them gently. Her voice is rough though, when she says, “Hey, can I kiss you?”

“What?” Yui says. And then, before she can lose her nerve, she says, “yes, yes, yes,” and grasps Hana’s face, kisses her. 

It's too fast. Too sloppy. Their noses bump. Hana’s lips are super soft and sweet with a flavored gloss that is now in Yui’s mouth. Yui wants to kiss her again, at least fifty more times. Hana won’t want to kiss her again, after this horrible first time. She will cancel plans for the dinner too.

But when Yui tries to pull back, Hana’s hands tighten around Yui’s. Hana has a dazed look on her face. “Let’s go have dinner,” she murmurs.

Yui releases a breath she did not know she was holding. She was sure that her awkwardness and over-eagerness would cause Hana to reconsider the offer to have dinner, maybe put an end to the extra practice sessions too. She feels a familiar prickling at the back of her eyes and considers pulling out that bottle of mineral water spray and applying the remainder of the bottle to her face. She doesn’t like to cry in public. But then again, these would be happy tears, and Hana has already seen her post-crying face.

Before she can get too emotional though, Hana, smiling, leans over to kiss her again, the corner of her eyes, then the tip of her nose, and Yui laughs instead of crying. And she says, “Yes, let’s go.”

**Author's Note:**

> ETA: 2/28/16 - added a bit of dialogue for characterization purposes and corrected some typos


End file.
